One of my war reporting colleagues, Alex Quade, was recently inducted into her alma mater's hall of fame. Quade was interviewed by the University of Washington's Department of Communications about journalism ethics. … [Read more...]

What's going on at CNN? You would think after their train-wreck coverage of the Boston Marathon bombings, that management would be breathing fire down on the on-air personalities to get their acts together. … [Read more...]

Many reporters and editors have never handled a semi-automatic rifle, let alone seen one up close. This video is designed to give you an idea of the difference between an automatic "assault rifle" and a semi-automatic "assault weapon." … [Read more...]

Journalist Sebastian Junger began Reporters Instructed in Saving Colleagues following the 2011 death of photographer Tim Hetherington in Libya. Hetherington was wounded by mortar fire, and died on the way to a hospital. Junger said if fellow journalists on the scene were trained in basic first aid, Hetherington might have survived. … [Read more...]

It was the news the world breathlessly waited for immediately after the 9/11 terror attacks: a report of the first American troops on the ground in Afghanistan. All at once, the world’s attention focused on an iconic photo of those Special Operations Forces doing something no American military had done in nearly a century: They rode horses into combat. … [Read more...]

Wesley Alden of the Orlando Sentinel uses a small hand-held camera to capture visitors praising the SEALs the day after Osama bin Laden was killed. While many print journalists are starting to pick up cameras to tell the stories, few are forward-thinking enough to use it right after a story breaks. … [Read more...]

While this video has a political message at the end of it, it is a good representation for infographic video producers to think about how to use maps and military data to show a powerful visual. … [Read more...]

Two CNN personalities, I hesitate to call them journalists after this performance, were taken to task by a former CIA counterterrorism expert Michael Scheuer.
The personalities clearly did not understand the geopolitical issues that are going on, nor were they prepared to ask intelligent questions. It's OK to ask dumb questions, the problem was, instead of just asking the real expert to elaborate on his answers, they decided to take off their reporter's hat and play amateur pundits.
They lost that game.
If you're going to be a reporter, be a reporter. Most print journalists already do a fine job on this. The … [Read more...]

This is a gripping video filmed by co-directors Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington of "Restrepo" and a good example of journalists getting out of the way and letting the story unfold.
The 14-minute video is the story of Staff Sgt. Sal Giunta of the 173rd Airborne and his actions in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley. … [Read more...]